Which party has the NHS and nurses most in mind?

Nursing Times has leafed through the election manifestos of the main parties for mentions of the NHS and nursing.

This bit of strictly unscientific research reveals the Green Party, the Liberal Democrats and the UK Independence Party as the three with the most mentions of the “NHS” or the “health service”.

Meanwhile, UKIP and Plaid Cymru come out top with the most mentions of “nurse”, “nurses” or “nursing” in their manifestos.

As has been stated by political commentators, the NHS was always going to be a key election battle ground between the larger parties. It seems the smaller parties have also spotted an opportunity to try and boost their vote share via the health service.

However, it should be noted that while Labour fared less well in this particular test, the party has published a stand-alone manifesto for its health policies.

The Liberal Democrats would launch a range of policies designed to bring health and social care together, including moving towards fully pooled local budgets, if they get into power at the general election.

“Nurses could be a voice to be reckoned with if we became more politically astute,” says Danielle Tiplady, who in the last three years has become one of the most influential nurses on the picket line and one of most prominent voices behind the campaign to shake up the Royal College of Nursing.

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